Just a few Kindergarten Owls....

Chicken Collages

First and second graders read "The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County," by Janice Harrington.  We looked at the illustrations and noticed how illustrator Shelley Jackson used many different types of arts media, including paint and collage, to create the pictures in the book.



While we watched a video of the this story, artists sketched as many different chickens as they could.  Then we collected different textures to use to make painted paper for our collage chickens.

#chickens by #faystonschool  #gradesoneandtwo getting ready for our collages inspired by #thechickenchasingqueenoflamarcounty

A post shared by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Sep 18, 2017 at 11:39am PDT

#faystonschool #gradesoneandtwo go on a #texture #treasurehunt

A post shared by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Sep 18, 2017 at 9:04am PDT

Cardinal Collages inspired by Charley Harper

 

I've always loved Charley Harper's bright and bold images, particularly those of birds.  When the cardinals arrive against the gray winter days of December, I find myself especially drawn to Harper's images of cardinals.  

Third and fourth grade artists looked at Harper's work and identified the simple shapes he used to create his birds. We used colored paper to capture the cardinal in all four seasons.

Mexican Folk Art Amate Paintings

Amate paintings are a traditional art of the Mezcala region of Mexico.  Amate refers to the type of paper the paintings are done on. It is made from processed tree bark that is boiled, sometimes dyed or bleached and pressed into paper. Amate paper was traditionally used to record data, pass along communication or for ritual purposes. Today it is used to create decorative art that the artists sell to support themselves and their families.

  



First and second graders watched this video about making Amate paper. We discussed reasons for making art and how an artist chooses the subject or his or her artwork.  We planned Amate-inspired drawings featuring colorful birds, other animals, flowers and plants.  We will paint them with brightly colored paints.

"Birds of a feather" piece for art auction

Students in Mrs. Boyden's first and second grade class created this group piece for our Children's Art Auction at the Bridge Street Art Fair on Saturday, May 17. 

Mexican Folk Art: Amate Painting

As long as humans have existed, art has been an important part of social culture. Teaching children about the folk art of other cultures helps us to appreciate what people from around the world consider valuable and beautiful. It allows students to learn about new techniques and materials used in art, and displaying real examples encourages art appreciation in even the youngest students.

Today we’ll look at a traditional Mexican folk art, painted on an organic medium called “amate.” Amate (pronounced “ah-MAH-tay”) is a type of paper produced from the fibers of the bark of fig trees.  Beginning in pre-Hispanic times, different indigenous groups used the amate to communicate with others. For example, the Aztecs used the amate paper to register data, or as a gift for soldiers.  In today’s Mexico, the Otomí people of Central Mexico produce this paper in a way similar to its historical origins.  However, now Nahua artisans paint intricate birds, colorful plants, and whimsical animals on the amate so that it can be used for decoration.

from Kid Citizen World

Examples of Amate Painting 

We also learned about the difference between stylized images and realistic images.  Stylized images show an artist's unique, creative way of drawing something, rather than an image that looks like photograph.   We looked at images of stylized birds and realistic birds.  Can you tell the difference?  

Birds and Birches

First and second graders looked at the beautiful and fun collage illustrations in Lois Ehlert's book "Snowballs."

We used liquid watercolor paint with oil pastel resist to make colorful papers, which we used to cut out our birds. We used sheet music for our birch trees and added shading and detail with black oil pastels. 

Thank you to the art blog www.deepspacesparkle.com for the inspiration for this lesson. 

Pinch Pot Projects